Yacine Bounou once again proved why he is regarded as one of the world’s elite goalkeepers, guiding Morocco into the Africa Cup of Nations final after a nerve-shredding penalty shootout victory over Nigeria.
The semi-final in Rabat on Wednesday night ended goalless after regulation and extra time, before Morocco triumphed 4-2 on penalties. Yacine emerged as the decisive figure, producing two crucial saves to settle the contest.
“𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆,” 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉. “𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔.”
Morocco Dominates, Nigeria Holds Firm
In front of 65,458 fans at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Morocco controlled much of the match. The hosts enjoyed nearly half of the possession and registered 16 shots, five of them on target. Nigeria, by contrast, struggled going forward, managing only two attempts, with just one troubling the goalkeeper.
Morocco created early pressure, with Ismail Sabry denied by a heroic block from Semi Ajayi and Brahim Díaz firing narrowly wide. Despite sustained pressure, the Super Eagles defended stubbornly to force the game into extra time.
Nigeria’s only serious effort came from Ademola Lookman, but it failed to trouble Bounou. As frustration grew, chances continued to fall Morocco’s way, yet finishing proved elusive.
Yacine Delivers When It Matters Most
With the match still locked at 0-0 after extra time, the semi-final moved to penalties. Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali briefly raised hopes by making a save, but Yacine Bounou quickly stole the spotlight.
The Moroccan keeper denied Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyemaechi, swinging momentum decisively in his team’s favour. The winning kick was calmly converted by Youssef En-Nesyri, sparking wild celebrations.
“𝑯𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇,” 𝒂 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕.”
Final Awaits for World Cup Semi-Finalists
The victory sends 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco into the AFCON final, where they will chase continental glory on home soil. Nigeria, meanwhile, must settle for the third-place play-off against Egypt on Saturday.
Once again, the night belonged to Yacine Bounou — a reminder that when matches are decided by the finest margins, Morocco’s greatest weapon stands between the posts.
Also Read: The Hidden Story Behind the FIFA World Cup Trophy
